Mental Health As A Moderator

I’ve been Moderating on Mixer for over 2 years and believe me there’s a lot that I know I haven’t even scratched the surface as a moderator yet but I wanted to talk about mental health and how important it is to not only take care of other people but take care of ourselves.

Since we are usually in the frontline, answering the same questions over and over again, welcoming people even if we get ignored because they want to talk to the streamers, or even being counselors to others we need to learn to also put ourselves first.

Here are some symptoms that you may be a little burnt out and need to step away :

You're becoming easily irritable.

Even the smallest and easiest question someone asks you is an instant snap back at them. You’re becoming even more Annoyed with your streamer though they been doing the same thing for hours, you’re a little impatient with them.

Moderating starts to feel like a chore more than the enjoyment that you have.

You no longer get excited on doing the things you love, and mentally check out of the chat and not be as engaging as before.

How do you prevent from becoming too burnt out?

1. Spend time with you, yourself, and you.

Now you may say, “I don’t even like myself.” Well, you’re going to start to because once the lights go off and the stream ends, you’re left with yourself. Choose a sabbatical day meaning no stream whatsoever, play a game with some friends and catch up, go outside and take a walk, get some Vitamin D is on your skin, have a spa day with yourself. Anything that’ll make you feel refreshed. I have chosen certain time of nights where I would leave the chat early and have relaxing moments for me whether it was to journal, watch Netflix, Draw, pretty much anything to not allow my mod tendencies to take over and still have a life. Do NOT feel guilty about taking time off. If your streamer doesn’t understand breaks then you might want to be somewhere else.

2. Reach out to people when you know you’re not okay.

I have grabbed a good amount of circle of friends where I literally have to pause from an incident in chat and go to them, let's call them the reasonable crew. I admit, there were many times where someone in chat had offended me unintentionally and I was ready to let them have it. Be a complete "savage." Luckily, during my pause moments I had to grab a trust worthy friend which happen to a fellow mod to be the devils advocate. Little did I know someone else has spoken to them beforehand and they were going through something that made them respond a certain way. It doesn't excuse them, but, it made me understand them. I'm not talking about bullying or any remarks that made me feel low but things I took in as hurt that wasn't meant to be in the first place. The internet communication is plain weird.

3. Learn to have boundaries

As moderators, we are always willing to help, and sometimes become unlicensed counselors. What you will learn people will start to look at you like role-models. What I learned over the years is the fact, when I was always saying yes to everyone, I was neglecting my own sanity. I carried everyone else's burden without dealing with my own. It is okay to not be able to answer questions that you don't know. You can't please everyone, you'll either have someone on your side or against you. Ask yourself this question, if I'm not in the right state of mind, how can I be a help to others?

Disclaimer: This is based off my own experiences, any and all opinions are welcomed.